IMO patching a game before it was released is a sign of a poorly designed, poorly tested game.
I haven't played AA although I was thinking about getting it the graphics do look dated and imo seriously detract from the game. Generally I'm not a big graphics person but imo they just don't make the grade already. The 20km map will imo fix many problems associated with bf2, APC's being not serving there purpose, planes dominating. But I seriously doubt I will part with my cash.
^Ahem EA released a 2142 patch the day before release lol. (or was it with another EA game?)
I realise that, I haven't played 2142 (excluding FS) in months... FS was the sole reason I got 2142 and it is the sole reason it is still installed. 2142 will be remembered for FS.